Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday named longtime statehouse lobbyist Whitney Damron as chair of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission.
Damron, who has lobbied in the Capitol for nearly 40 years, will replace Gerald Lauber, the former president of Kaw Valley Bank of Topeka.
Lauber had served on the commission since 2006.
Damron, who has run his own lobbying firm since 1995, starts April 2.
He started his career working with lobbyist John C. Bottenberg in 1986, a year before he graduated with a law degree from Washburn University.
He later went to work for the lobbying firm run by former House Speaker Pete McGill, which at the time was the state’s largest government relations firm.
“As a lifelong hunter and fisherman, I appreciate the critical role the department plays, working alongside with the commission to manage the state’s wildlife and habitats, its parks, and expand outdoor recreational opportunities for Kansans and tourists alike,” Damron said in a statement.
The governor’s appointment comes at a time when there has been an effort to remake the composition of the commission after it came under fire for a controversial proposal to outlaw deer baiting and feeding to keep the spread of chronic wasting disease in check.
Last week, a House committee passed out a bill that would curtail the number of appointments the governor can make to the commission, which advises the agency’s secretary on planning and policy issues about the administration of the agency.
The governor now appoints all seven members of the commission, with no more than four members from any one political party.
The new proposal would have given the governor four appointments, with another appointed by the speaker of the House, another by the Senate president and one by the attorney general.
The bill hasn’t advanced and most likely has stalled this year since neither the House nor the Senate are expected to go on general orders before the regular legislative session ends next week.
